about getting from point A to point B in the most interesting ways possible

If you're a large woman in America, your whole life is an opportunity to feel self-conscious, embarrassed, resentful and way too big. You can hide in the corner or on the couch, you can go to therapy, or you can put on your lycra bike shorts and get out there and move.
—Jayne Williams, Slow Fat Triathlete

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October 21, 2005

Apocalypse later today permalink

Ranch Inn Motel

Okay. The apocalypse is now. I expect the end of the world by the end of the day.

You might be thinking (rightly) that I'm having one of my mood swings. But actually, I'm feeling really good today.

I saw a Segway in a bike lane. Yes. Not only that, I saw it on Vancouver Ave, just north of Beech. Those of you who know Portland know that this is a transitioning neighborhood made up of the working poor, an established middle-class, public housing, young hipsters, and yuppies looking to turn over real estate quickly. It's a neighborhood that was ravaged by crack and crank, by gangs, and by petty crime in the 80s.

Vancouver Ave also has a really popular south-bound bike lane. So popular that I don't ride it cuz there's too much traffic. Bike traffic. And there is the world's slowest vehicle, the Segway, dominating the bike lane.
map, from my place to Tigard

Other than this end of the world stuff, things are going pretty well. Last night I scooted across town (12 miles!) to hear Leigh Radford speak. Leigh and I are knitting acquaintances—we met taking a sockknitting class almost 6 years ago. She's well known in Portland, having worked at one of the yarn shops and offering classes at several. It was really no surprise when I learned that she had a book coming out, Alterknits, about some new approaches to knitting. That's Leigh, always pushing the boundaries.

Anyhow, I've wanted to get the book, and see the projects in person, and yesterday morning I learned that she'd be speaking at a knitting guild meeting that evening, across town. Now, one of the reasons that I don't go to that knitting guild's meetings very often is because they're across town, in an suburb that has horrendous traffic all the time. So I packed my satchel with my new knitting project (an iP0d sock for sweetie made from Koigu, so luscious) and hit the road.

Riding out there was a bit much. It was dusk, and I was on a highway at rush hour, with a posted speed limit of 45. I'm going 55, and everyone is flying by me like I'm standing still. There's a bike lane, and surprise surprise, there are actually bicyclists on it—though I think that had as much to do with the darth of through streets in this area, as well as the darth of westside bike routes.


Capitol Hill Motel

But all was good once I got there. Leigh had lots of cool projects, which set me to thinking about cool future projects of my own. I felt eminently creative, a feeling that doesn't visit all that often, but that I most frequently feel amongst my undergrad friends. It's nice to feel that way.

Tomorrow, I learn more about urban planning. Sunday, I slug velo. Hopefully today I'll make some appointments to talk to professionals who can tell me what I should be when I grow up. I made some important realizations yesterday about this latest midlife crisis, so I'm feeling kinda hopeful that, like the guy in the AA story about the hole, that this time I'll see it before I'm in it.

(Whaa, you don't know the AA story about the guy and the hole? Here it is, from webhome.idirect.com/~avroarow/P6.HTM)

The AA story about the guy and the hole



  1. I walk down the street; There is a deep hole in the sidewalk;
    I fall in. I am lost ... I am helpless, It isn't my fault. It takes me forever to find a way out.

  2. I walk down the same street; There is a deep hole in the sidewalk;
    I pretend I don't see it; I fall in again. I can't believe I am in the same place, but it isn't my fault. It still takes a long time to get out.

  3. I walk down the same street; There is a deep hole in the sidewalk; I see it is there; I still fall in ... it's a habit. My eyes are open, I know where I am. It is my fault. I get out immediately.

  4. I walk down the same street, There is a deep hole in the sidewalk. I walk around it.

  5. I walk down another street.

(Oh, and the 22% tax that I mentioned yesterday? The catch-22? If only!! It is just some bike-positive propaganda. That I really like. )

Posted at October 21, 2005

Comments

Segway. What a neat invention that just totally flopped. There was so much hype, people thought it was going to be the next portable nuclear power generator. Then they found out it was just a scooter with a cool steering/balance mechanism. Not so exciting, but it might be fun to ride.

And I like that hole story. Seems like it would apply to alot of things in our lives that we fall into and spend time getting out of.

Posted by: Jon in Michigan at October 21, 2005 2:29 PM

Hey VJ,

I'm also planning on Slug Velo on Sunday...I wanted to post something about the ride to help promote it, but didn't get to it.

See you there. It should be a gorgeous ride!

Posted by: Jonathan Maus at October 22, 2005 12:25 AM